When Parliament sits on Monday, Home Affairs Minister, Wong Kan Seng, will table the Public Order Bill. The law could give the police powers to prevent protesters from gathering at places like Parliament House and the Istana, and to compel them to ‘move on’.
Another bill on the agenda is the Human Organ Transplant Act’s amendment Bill. The Bill, if passed, will allow organ donors to be compensated for their time and costs. It will also provide reimbursement for any possible future health problems related to their organ donation.
The Films Act, too, will be on the agenda as the Government seeks to amend the Act to liberalise the ban on “party political films”. Live recordings of election rallies or public speeches will no longer be considered ‘party political films’, provided the events are held in accordance with the law.
Here are some of the other questions which MPs have tabled to be answered in Parliament. For the full list, please click here.
Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Prime Minister whether he has appointed the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee and, if not, whether he intends to do so within the next 3 months.
Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) how the 25% fall in overall portfolio value from its peak is distributed over the different asset classes held by the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation; and (b) whether there is any form of accountability for fund managers who invested “too early” in failing banks.
Ms Ellen Lee Geck Hoon: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the economic recession where more people especially the matured/older Singaporeans are affected by unemployment or retrenchment (a) whether the Government will consider relaxing the rules for application to MediFund; and (b) whether successful applicants will be able to receive financial assistance to pay their hospital bills fully.
Mr Inderjit Singh: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what are the terms of the $300 million loan provided by the Government to Micron Technologies; (b) what are the risks of this loan and are there terms and conditions which benefit Singapore; (c) whether this loan was disbursed through any of the banks in Singapore or was it a direct loan from the Government; and (d) whether the Government is now prepared to give direct loans to companies instead of sharing risks with banks.
Dr Ong Seh Hong: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry tracks the educational performance and psychological well-being of undergraduates on scholarship; (b) what are the numbers of undergraduates who have lost their scholarships over the last 10 years; and (c) whether counselling was provided to these undergraduates who had lost their scholarships, to help them cope financially and psychologically.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) whether he will explain the steps taken by Temasek Holdings to find a replacement CEO; and (b) whether any Singaporeans were considered for the position.
Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Finance why the Civil Service’s hiring practice of restricting access to state secrets to Singaporeans is not applied to Temasek Holdings.
Mdm Cynthia Phua: To ask the Minister for Health why a Government hospital has no flexibility to waive the medical fee of a Dutch national who sustained injuries arising from his exemplary deed to save a drowning woman.
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Why is Mdm Cynthia Phua asking non-issues on Parliament? To justify her participation as a back-bencher? The other MPs are asking really relevant issues at hand now. However, I remain skeptical of Wong Kan Seng’s ability to provide frank answers in parliament. Parliamentary speeches are not made under oath too.
aiyoyo
see several back benchers (elites)
so in what ways are they helping the commoners/economy???
are commoners paying too much for these elites pay package???
times are bad and they’re sitting there,
not sure how can commoners be helped?
aiyoyo
How come WKS not tabling a Bill to remove himself?
Why waste time with all these bills?
If you are punched on a public place, you actually have to make a magistrate compliant, which involves identifying the person (IC or passport)? And we are paying taxes to the Government to protect us.
I hope DPM Wong Kan Seng knows what he is doing.
And why is no one asking this sensible question, i.e. why are our leaders and ministers continuing to enjoy million dollar salaries despite our nation being in a deep recession and they are helpless in lifting us out of the predicament.
Bully Not Enough…
Need more NEW LAWS to keep people quiet and
submissive?
It’s high time for CHANGE!!!
Our laws are already repressive enough . What purpose does it serve to enact another stifling one when time and energy could be spent focused on the jobs and economy.
If we had our way, WKS would have been booted out long ago iso of tabling
another repressive bill in Parliament.
I am only interested to hear from Sylvia :)
Love the questions on Rohingya. Give them an orchid, I say. You go, gurl!
#3 kingfisher
“How come WKS not tabling a Bill to remove himself?”
And forego his easy $$$$ millions?
People may be insane to continue voting for the PAP but the PAP members are not that insane as to boot themselves out.
Eh, the law is use to protect citizens. As you can see, they are twicking the law for their own benefits.
Might as while tell the country that the protest laws are for SDP and other citizens who want to seek redress.
But if it’s like 200 hundred banglahs gathering at MOM …woah no problem. IMF, woah no problem.
Maybe next time, there should be gathering 500 or more foreign workers at Oxley and see what the police can do.
Please lah, we won’t bother to go and disturb the president sleeping in Istana and the nodding away in parliment MPS, let them sleep.
S$300 million loan to Micron?? Come on !!! If I am not wrong, Micron is in the same space of making memory chips as the world largest memory chip maker Spansion…which by the way went bust last month.